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IB Diploma Programme (DP)

Our Grade 11 and 12 curriculum follows the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). The IB Diploma encourages intellectual growth, academic rigour, and personal development through a holistic and balanced approach.

The DP opens doors to the best universities worldwide. Moreover, it helps develop lifelong learners who are prepared to make the difference to the communities they inhabit. Thus Classical Hebrew, Jewish philosophy and Advanced Modern Hebrew fit in perfectly with the IB philosophy.

Students will be able to opt for the full Diploma or individual courses in subjects of their choice. More information about the IB DP curriculum and philosophy can be found on the IB website. It is intended that all students will graduate with the Elsa High School Diploma, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Diploma Requirements

To earn an IB Diploma, students are required to study six subjects (three at Higher Level, and three at Standard Level).

  • A literature course in the student’s native language
  • One additional language
  • Mathematics
  • An experimental science
  • A humanities or social science subject
  • An arts subject, or another subject from the sciences, languages or humanities

In addition, students must successfully complete the core, which includes Creativity, Action, Service (CAS), an Extended Essay (a 4,000 word research project similar to a university research paper), and the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course.

Grade and Assessment

Standards of IB assessment are the same worldwide. An international Board of IB Chief Examiners is responsible for the conduct of the examinations, setting the papers, and marking and moderating the grades.

Each examined subject is graded on a scale of 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum). The award of the IB diploma requires a minimum total score of 24, based on the principle that a grade 4 represents a passing level in each of the six subjects. Excellent performance in the six subjects results in a grade 7 for each, or a total score of 42 points. It is possible to earn additional points – a maximum of 3 – for superior work on the Extended Essay and Theory Of Knowledge.

The Core